By Rudolph.A.Furtado (posted 23rd Dec. 2013)
“During my tour of Phnom Penh, I came across this lady on the street with a kitten tied to her body and a package of clothes. Was she a homeless lady with a pet? It was amazing to see this lady with her pet cat and a load of luggage. I observed her roaming around the street near my hotel. Could also be a source of tourist attraction.” (Rudolph Furtado commenting on his photo)
Comment from Michael: not everyone in the world is participating in the usual Christmas festivities as most people do in the West. This lady seems to be a “tramp” – homeless, and she has a small tabby or calico cat with a short tail as a friend. It seems to me that a higher than usual percentage of cats in Asia have shorter tails or kinked tails. It is not that uncommon for Siamese cats in Thailand to have tail “abnormalities”. It looks rather crude to put string around the cat’s neck as a lead of some sort. This string also seems to prevent the cat escaping. This looks cruel to people in the West. I suppose this reflects a different relationship with the cat in parts of Asia compared to the West.
Michael, you have projected this sad but candid photo that i happen to click in Phnom Penh which raises sad issues on economic differences as well as animal rights.Rich and poor exist in every society including the “First World” country’s.To this poor tramp it seems this cat is her companion as well as a source to earn some “Tourist Money”. This street is a total tourist area with a majority of Western tourists mostly Britishers and Australians.I presume that this lady was trying to collect some money from the tourists.The weather in Phnomh Penh is warm akin to India and hence homeless people can live on the streets and not freeze to death as in most Cold country’s. I would have definitely asked this lady about her strange attire and the cat but language was a hurdle.One important fact i observed during my tour of Vietnam & Cambodia was that most cats had “DEFORMED OR DOCKED TAILS”.
It’s quite a photo.
Well the biggest question here is quite simply and obviously: Why?
I just hope the kitten doesn’t suffer and he’s not just dinner. I don’t think he is.
It is photo that you would not take in Europe or America. That is my feeling. The position of the cat and the string are giveaway signs.
The strings are definitely worrying. There is a different attitude in the Far East. The string somewhat reflects this attitude. It actually looks dangerous because if the cat falls off she might be suspended by the neck.
The strings are a bit worrisome; that baby is doing a great balancing act.
I hope this woman can rummage around and find a big enough pouch for the kitty.
An unusual looking street lady. She looks clean and so does her clothing.
Yes my first thought was if the kitten jumped down she could choke herself, she doesn’t look very old and she looks a bit precariously balanced to me 🙁